Brynjólfur Sveinsson | |
|---|---|
| Bishop of Skálholt | |
 Bishop Brynjólfur | |
| Church | Church of Iceland |
| Diocese | Skálholt |
| Appointed | 1639 |
| In office | 1639–1674 |
| Predecessor | Gísli Oddsson |
| Successor | Þórður Þorláksson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1605-09-14)September 14, 1605 Önundarfjörður, Iceland |
| Died | August 5, 1675(1675-08-05) (aged 69) Skálholt, Iceland |
| Nationality |  Icelandic |
Brynjólfur Sveinsson (14 September 1605 – 5 August 1675) served as theLutheranBishop of thesee ofSkálholt inIceland. His main influence has been on modern knowledge ofOld Norse literature. Brynjólfur is also known for his support of the career of the Icelandic poet and hymn writerHallgrímur Pétursson. Brynjólfur Sveinsson is currently pictured on the 1,000Icelandic króna banknote.[1][2][3]
Brynjólfur was born in Önundarfjörður in theWestfjords of northwesternIceland. He studied at theUniversity of Copenhagen from 1624 to 1629 and wasProvost ofRoskilde University from 1632 to 1638.[4]
In 1643, he named the collection of Old Norsemythological andheroic poemsEdda. Brynjólfur attributed the manuscript toSæmundr fróði, but the scholarly consensus is that whoever wrote the Eddic poems, whether in the sense of being the compiler or the poet, it could not have been Sæmundr. It is believed that the manuscript has multiple authorship from over a long span of time.[5]
In 1650King Frederick III appointed Brynjólfur to succeed the lateStephanius as Royal Danish Historian. He declined the post but promised the king to do what he could to collect manuscripts in Iceland. One of his first acts was to request all people residing in his diocese to turn over to the King any old manuscripts, either an original or a copy, as a gift or for a price.[6]
Among the most monumental of the Icelandic manuscripts thus collected is theFlateyjarbók, which was secured only after a personal visit to the owner from Brynjólfur. Jón Finnsson ofFlatey, Breiðafjörður, who owned the manuscript, was initially unwilling to give up his precious heirloom. After a personal visit and persuasion from Brynjólfur, Finnsson gave up the valuable manuscript. The manuscript was given to King Frederick III in 1656, and placed in theRoyal Library of Copenhagen.[7]
The novelBrynjólfur Sveinsson biskup byTorfhildur Þorsteinsdóttir Hólm, first published in 1882, is based on the life of the historical Brynjólfur Sveinsson.[8]
| Preceded by | Bishop ofSkálholt 1639–1674 | Succeeded by |
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